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Ms Bradford said the re-enablement scheme helped her regain her independence after major surgery

Women from East Dorset are living longer than nearly all others in England, BBC-commissioned research has suggested.

The area has the second highest female life expectancy in England, 85, and the third highest for men, 81, according to research by Experian.

The BBC-commissioned study looked at England's resilience to possible cuts.

Dorset County Council said its "cost-effective" re-ablement programme helped older people remain living at home.

Rising care costs

Experian's research examined a number of factors, including life expectancy, to determine how resilient different council areas could be to economic shocks.

The local authority claims that since the East Dorset pilot scheme's inception in March last year, it "has ensured several hundred people in Dorset have been able to live in greater control of their lives".